Fearless Interviewing
the other hand, a bone-crushing handshake sends a
message that you may be overly competitive. Neither of
these messages is attractive to an interviewer. A hand-
shake that is firm with one, two, or three “pumps” of
the elbow is an appropriate business greeting, signaling
to the employer, “Let’s get down to business.”
- Address the interviewer as Ms. or Mr. ____
until you’re invited to call him or her by a first name.
Again, this greeting is part of being respectful of the
interviewer’s time and authority.
- Introduce yourself by your first and last names and say
that you are happy to be there. Do you know that only
40 percent of interviewers are trained to do the job of
interviewing? My surveys of managers and directors
from Fortune 500 companies indicate that they very
often feel morenervous about interviewing you than
you feel about the interview! Introducing yourself and
expressing that you’re glad to be there is the first step
to putting the interviewerat ease, so that you can both
enjoy a relaxed meeting.
- Do notsit down until the interviewer suggests that you
do. If he or she doesn’t, ask politely if you may sit down.
As soon as you sit down in a chair in the interviewer’s
office, you become part of his or her territory. It is
therefore wise to wait until you are invited to sit or
you have asked permission to do so.
- Do not, at any time during the interview, put anything
on the interviewer’s desk. Keep briefcases, note pads,
date books, and purses by your side or on your lap.
The employer’s desk is even more sacred and private
territory than the surrounding office. Keep hands,
elbows, and any other items from the top of the desk.
If, however, you have been invited to sit at a conference
table or a round table that is not a desk, you should feel
free to take notes on the tabletop as the meeting goes
on. These spaces are shared territory, unlike a person’s
desk, which is private.
- Make your behavior in the waiting room impeccably
professional and polite. Interviewers often ask their
